him, and that he has done with the poor pleasures, the painted playthings, for which he sold his soul. His conscience is whispering, "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things:" and painful experience is teaching him what it is to receive evil things; he knows what the word 'hell' means now. A clergyman,* now dead, has said, that hell is "truth seen too late." Oh! frightful thing, to know the reality only when too late. Then, there is the worm that never dies.' There are some awful lines descriptive of this, written by Mr. Pollok ;—

"It grasped

Malignantly what seemed a heart, swollen, black,
And quivering with torture most intense;
And still the heart, with anguish throbbing high,
Made effort to escape, but could not; for
Howe'er it turned-and oft it vainly turned-
These complicated foldings held it fast;
And still the monstrous beast with sting of head
Or tail transpierced it, bleeding evermore.
What this could image, much I searched to know;
And while I stood, and gazed, and wondered long,
A voice, from whence I knew not, for no one
I saw, distinctly whispered in my ear

These words: This is the Worm that never dies."

Oh, how strange to choose all this misery! Now let us glance at Moses. You will find him mentioned in the 9th chap. Luke, 30th and part of the 31st ver.

Rev. Richard Cecil.

L

First scholar." And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: who appeared in glory."

Teacher. And perhaps you will find him also mentioned in the 7th chap. Rev. 9th and 10th ver.

Second scholar.-"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;"

Third scholar." And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

Teacher.-You do not think now that Moses' choice was a strange choice.

Neither will ours

led to adopt the On the contrary,

be a strange choice, if we are christian's portion as our own. as we grow in the experience of the peace which Christ bestows-as our hope of spending an eternity of glory with him ripens-as we learn more and more of the love which constrained him to shed his blood for the guilty, and to procure for them an incorruptible inheritance, we shall only be filled with astonishment that we could ever have blindly rejected such a Redeemer, and shall glorify God for that abounding grace which led him to quicken us, while we were "dead in trespasses and sins." (2nd chap. Ephesians; 1st ver.)

THE LOST SHEEP.

LUKE XV. 1-7.

Teacher. Jesus had a strange-looking com pany listening to him when he spoke the parable which we are about to read;-not angels, nor the righteous. Let us see who they were.

First scholar, ver. 1.—“Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him."

Teacher. Do you see anything to love in Jesus Christ for keeping company with such lost creatures as publicans and sinners? But, perhaps, you do not know who publicans were?

First scholar.-Yes; they were tax-gatherers. Teacher. For whom did they gather taxes? First scholar.-For the Romans, who were over the Jews at this time.

Teacher.-Yes; and therefore what they paid might, perhaps, be better called 'tribute.' Taxes are paid by persons to support the government of their own country; tribute they are obliged to pay to those who conquer them. I need not ask you which persons pay most willingly, taxes or tribute.

Second scholar.-Taxes; because no people like to own others as their conquerors.

Teacher. Now, if you turn to another passage in the bible, 18th chapter Matthew, the latter part of the 17th verse, you will find who Jesus classes publicans with.

Second scholar.-Heathens. It says,

"Let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

Teacher. So that you see the character of the publican is there classed with that of an heathen, or a man who is ignorant of God, and worships idols. Publicans were about the vilest of all characters. In gathering the money which it was their office to collect, they would rob and oppress, and deal violently. The rich hated them-the poor dreaded them; and here we see them flocking with other sinners to hear Jesus. What could they want with Jesus? What has Jesus to do with them? Perhaps you will find the answer in the 1st chapter 1 Timothy, the former part of the 15th verse.

Third scholar.-"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

Teacher-True enough. If Doctor B

were to visit L

to morrow, you know who

would be the first to send for him?

Third scholar.-Mr. A-, who has lost his appetite and strength.

Teacher.-Yes. Just so when the Physician of souls comes into the world; there are none who need him so much as those who are very sick in their souls, very deep in sin. You have heard persons say, I am such a sinner He will not hear me; He will not save me?

First scholar.-Yes, I remember going with mother to see Mrs. L

once, and she said, that she felt her sins were so black, that there was no mercy for her!

Teacher.-Well, her sins were very black, that was true; but then it is also true, that it is of sinners who are really broken-hearted that Jesus is the Saviour, and if I were not a great sinner, I should not need a great Saviour. It is the saving "to the uttermost" (7th chapter Hebrews, 25th verse,) that Jesus delights in. It is in the plucking a dying thief from the mouth of the horrible pit, when he had almost begun to burn, and the placing him in his own royal home, that Jesus is especially glorified. But to come to our first question, is there anything to love in Jesus Christ for all his condescension towards sinners?

Fourth scholar.-Yes, it showed how kind his heart was.